Frances tried to emulate the excitement Poe displayed at that moment, but she could not shake the uneasiness his secrets caused deep within her. “I reason that you are springing these facts on me now because you were too scared to tell me during in our first meeting. Am I correct?”
“Yes, partially correct. It would not have been as enjoyable of a meeting if I told you these things right away. We weren’t acclimated to each other the way we are now. Besides, I was nervous the first time I met you. I did not want anything to ruin our first meeting, and this would have ruined the mood outright.”
“So, what am I supposed to do with this information?”
“I do not expect you to come to a decision right away. After all, you have a right to take as much time as you need to sort out the situation. But please, all I ask is that once you have taken the time to process everything in your mind, I pray that you come to a reasonable decision. I don’t want bias and prejudice to cloud your judgement. In the end, however, I do hope that you accept me as a hunter. I will leave you now as you have much to consider.” Poe rose from the sofa and looked down at Frances with hopeful eyes. “I promise to contact you again very soon.”
Frances stood up and embraced Poe as tightly as she did earlier when he was at her door. Poe enveloped her within his arms with just as much strength while he secretly inhaled the scent of her luscious dark hair.
“Goodbye, Edgar,” she said. “Thank you for coming to see me.”
“You’re welcome, Frances, and thank you for hearing me out. I do hope that you appreciate the fact that I want no secrets between us, which is why I told you everything tonight rather than waiting for the future.”
Frances smiled and agreed with him. She led Poe to the door and bade him farewell, then slowly closed the door behind him. The hunter gave the dame a lot to think about, but only God knew for certain what her answer to Poe’s question would be, but it would surely be revealed in due time.
END OF BOOK ONE
But the series continues…
Book 2: Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Quincy travel to Philadelphia to investigate a monster that kills its victims by cutting off their tongues and consuming them.
To receive updates about the next release and all the books in this series, as well as news about an upcoming novella, sign up for the email list at https://www.nathan-galion.com/
Poe the Hunter- Bedlam in Baltimore Page 14